Mohammed Azhar Ali Khan

When the Governor General of Canada invited me to a reception and an exhibition entitled, “From Far and Wide – Honoring Great Canadians”, I took Imam Samy Metwally of the Ottawa Muslim Association along. I thought the new imam of Ottawa’s oldest Muslim organization would benefit from meeting Canada’s elite and that Canadian leaders would find it useful to exchange views with a young Muslim scholar.



I told His Excellency that Imam Metwally had had a job offer from an American Islamic center but he chose Canada. His Excellency David Johnston turned to Imam Metwally and said, “Welcome to Canada.” He then said to me that we were lucky that he chose Canada.



Imam Metwally was surprised at the modesty and civility of the Governor General, who is a renowned scholar, and his easy mingling with his guests and the access of the Canadian people to him. "This could not happen in Egypt," Imam Metwally said. "Or in many other Muslim countries," I responded.



The exhibit was later opened to the public. It drew close to 40,000 visitors and later proceeded to communities across the country. The exhibit tells the stories of Canadians who served with excellence in wars and peace. Governor General Johnston stated that Canada must honor those who made their communities and country a better place. The exhibit featured decorations that are rarely seen by the public. This included Prime Minister William Mackenzie King’s Order of Merit, presented to him in 1950 by King George VI.



The present system of honors was started in 1967 to mark Canada’s centennial year. Since then a million Canadians – out of a population of roughly 35 million - have received medals ranging from minor ones to the highest awards.



The top award in Canada is the Order of Canada, given to no more than 136 Canadians in any year for distinguished service. After five years, Members of the Order of Canada become eligible for promotion to Officer of the Order of Canada and 64 such appointments can be made a year.



The highest level is a Companion, given for outstanding achievement, that can only be given to 15 persons a year and to no more than 165 living Canadians at any time. Some 6,000 Canadians have received the Order of Canada since 1967.



The provincial and city governments across Canada offer their own recognition to citizens who contribute to society. In Ontario the highest award is the Order of Ontario, given to people who have made outstanding contributions to the province, the country or humanity.

It is estimated that 40 percent of Canada’s 78,000 charitable organizations rely solely on volunteers. Some 6.5 million Canadians volunteer about one billion hours of their time every year, equivalent to 549,000 full-time jobs worth a total of $17 billion.



Normally, Canadians get the Order of Canada, orders of Military and Police Merit, Meritorious and Exemplary Service Medals, and military and civilian Bravery Decorations. More than 3,000 students from high schools, colleges and universities receive the Governor General’s Academic Medal. Close to 400 volunteers received the Governor General’s Caring Canadian awards.



Last year, however, brought on more activity. Queen Elizabeth’s long reign of 60 years has seen 12 governors general and 11 prime ministers in Canada. So Canada decided that to mark the occasion 60,000 – 6,000 in each of the ten provinces – would receive the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Award for services to the country. The recipients of the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario (and the highest honors of other provinces) were given the award automatically because of their distinguished services.



Others had to be nominated and this proved tricky. The federal Department of Canadian Heritage chose 250 partner organizations, some legitimate, others dubious. They were given the authority to hand out the awards.



Senators, members of the House of Commons and premiers of provinces received the same authority. This was based perhaps on the belief that these people knew who in their constituencies was performing the most useful service. But it also opened the gate to rewarding party workers and others who had served not the country but a political party or an organization. In the words of a columnist, the inconsistency of the selection process devalued the medal.



This is in sharp contrast to the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario where an independent and respected advisory council, often led by the chief justice of the Supreme Court, make the decisions.



Some people who were offered the award refused because of the government’s failure to make serious progress in tackling the problems faced by the Aboriginal people. At least two received the award though they were in jail. However, they were social activists who were agitating against abortions, which many Canadians see as murder of unborn children. Their supporters view them as deserving the award for their dedication to the sanctity of human life.



— Mohammed Azhar Ali Khan is a retired Canadian journalist, civil servant and refugee judge. He has received the Order of Canada, Order of Ontario and the Queen’s Diamond and Golden Jubilee Medals.